2012 was a much sweeter year than 2011 which contained too many tears due to losses in our families. We bounced back and embraced the last 12 months with enthusiasm and a thirst for adventure. In 2011 I traveled 75,000kms, mostly on my own. In 2012 I wanted to share more with John and I think we were successful in combining our adventures. We spent much more time in Seattle (including taking the train down for the Mariners’ opening day), had one of the best massages of our lives at Tigh-Na-Mara in Parksville for our anniversary, we explored more of Whatcom County just south of the border and found a Tesla coil in the Spark Museum, we biked a circle farm tour in Agassiz, and the biggest puddle jump for us was going to Maui for the inaugural Ka’anapali Fresh festival.
While Instagram became an easier and more mobile way to post photos, I have put together the following “Year in Review” using my Flickr images that were *not* taken with an iPhone. I used my Olympus PEN the most along with my Nikon D90 and still managed to upload over 104 pages worth of photos to Flickr.
January
Our year started off in Iowa again and took an afternoon drive over to LeClaire, the home of American Pickers.
February
The most romantic month of all. We celebrated Valentine’s Day at Black Rock Resort in Ucluelet where we walked the Wild Pacific Trail and then our anniversary was spent at Tigh-Na-Mara in Parksville during their Parksville Uncorked festival.
I also got to check out the Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition and the newly re-opened BC Sports Hall of Fame.
March
I was invited to Powell River to write about the historic Patricia Theatre and the town’s efforts to help it go digital through fundraising — which was a success! I also got a tour of Townsite Brewing, which burst onto the BC craft beer scene this year.
April
Our friend Duane moved back to Chilliwack for a few months and I experienced more of Tulalip Resort (and the Hibulb Cultural Centre) in Washington State.
May
When the spring sunshine popped out I did a few random photowalks in the West End, capturing traffic circles of all things, and of the budding flowers in Stanley Park. John and I also had some fun checking out downtown New Westminster for a day.
June
Marc Smith started up his 30 Day Adventures campaign in June where he set out to discover a local attraction every day for a whole month. I booked a day with him and we spent hours touring some of Langley’s best wineries. I also toured BC Place, did a TreeTrek in Whistler, and Whatcom County destinations like Fairhaven, Bellingham, and the Hovander Homestead.
July
John’s brother and his family visited us from Iowa for the first time so we had a lot of fun playing tourist in our own town, from a Stanley Park walk to Grouse Mountain’s SkyRide, and a trip up the Sea to Sky. July also had Canada Day festivities, Surrey’s Fusion Festival, another tour of the Celebration of Light barges, the Slow Food Cycle Tour in Agassiz, and I sat in on a few Vancouver Film School Summer Intensives.
August
The end of summer was all about Maui and our trip to the Ka’anapali Beach Association’s first annual food and wine festival.
September
A sizzling season of even more food and wine with O! Osoyoos Celebrates and Chefs Across the Water on Salt Spring.
October
We took a trip to Bellingham to visit the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention and I visited the Canadian Red Cross’ Emergency Response Unit setup in Ontario.
November
It was the first time we traveled to support a hometown team on the road as we followed Vancouver WhitecapsFC to Los Angeles for their playoff game against the Galaxy. My mother and I then traveled to New York for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — something that’s been on her “Must See” list her entire life.
December
We left for Iowa earlier in December this year so we didn’t get any other travel in. I sponsored Christmas at Canada Place and took one last photowalk around False Creek before we left for the year.
Here’s to more laughter, love, sharing, caring, and happiness in 2013!
We’ve been away in Iowa for the last part of the month where temperatures have been working their way down to -20C. It’s the type of cold that impedes you from going outside and enjoying the snow — feet of snow that fell weeks ago but remains on the ground due to the chill. When it snows in Vancouver, aside from traffic snarls and headaches, our region becomes a winter playground. Snowshoeing, tubing, skiing, boarding, and even continuing sunny day activities like kayaking and cycling. Over the last week I’ve seen a handful of breathtaking photos from the local mountains so I’ve made them the focus of today’s roundup from the Miss604 Flickr Pool.
As always, please click through on these images to view more work from the photographers and feel free to share your own photos with the Miss604 Flickr Pool. View all photo collections here.
Today is the City of Vancouver Archives building will celebrate its 39th anniversary. Opening on December 29th, 1973 in at 1150 Chestnut Street near Vanier Park, they were named after the man who started the archives when Vancouver was a new city — Major J.S. Matthews.
Matthews declared the Vancouver City Archives officially open on June 13, 1933 but the Major J.S. Matthews Building that we have today was the first building in Canada to be built specifically as a city archive.
You can visit to do research in the reading room, access the materials from the stacks, research online, search their database and more.
The archives are currently closed for the holidays but they’ll re-open on Wednesday, January 2, 2012 at 9:00am. They are free to visit and my favourite feature is that you can look through old albums of historical Vancouver photos and order prints for a very reasonable fee.
Follow the City of Vancouver Archives through their website, blog, Flickr, History Pin, Facebook, and Twitter for more information.
Press Play Establishment is bringing FashionTV‘s New Year’s Eve party to Vancouver to ring in 2013 with a whole lot of style at the distinguished Terminal City Club.
Tickets are still on sale for this prestigious event that will feature a red carpet entrance, casino tables, champagne, six bars, canapes, and much more with featured hostess Mandy Ross.
Hosted in the main ballroom of the Terminal City Club (837 West Hastings), entrance will be between 9:00pm and 10:30pm. Guests are asked to adhere to a strict dress code of tuxedos and gowns, and the event is for those ages 25+.
Entertainment includes Rob Weaver (local jazz musician with a full band), DJ Rachel Sehl (live drums and saxophone), and Golden Light Entertainment dance and performance artists.
This is the official launch of FashionTV’s social event series in Vancouver. If you’re looking for a high level of sophisticated New Year’s fun and entertainment this is the place to be.
I have 2 last-minute tickets to give away to a reader and a lucky guest (valued at $300). Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Since New Year’s Eve is coming up fast I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Sunday, December 30, 2012. Follow FashionTV and Press Play Establishment on Twitter for news and information about upcoming events around town.
FashionTV is the biggest fashion medium in the world. As the only global 24/7 TV station focused exclusively on fashion, beauty, trends and style, FTV broadcasts the latest news and information to over 350 million households and seven million public places worldwide.
Update My winner is Alice!
An alternative to the 93rd annual Vancouver Polar Bear Swim is the Penguin Plunge in North Vancouver. Presented by Deep Cove Outdoor and Deep Cove Kayak & Canoe, this frosty affair takes place at Panorama Park in Deep Cove on New Year’s Day.
To participate, register at Panorama Park on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 starting at 12:30pm and the plunge will take place promptly at 2:00pm. Enter the costume contest (judged at 1:30pm) and collect pledges for your plunge. Proceeds from plunge pledges support Seymour Art Gallery. Gary Comeau and The Voodoo Allstars will play live music in the park and refreshments will be served. Enjoy the first day of the year with the beautiful sights and sounds of the North Shore and support the community.
